If you thought Major League Baseball overreacted when it sentenced John Rocker to the therapist's couch for bigotry, consider the treatment meted out to Vaclav Prospal, a forward for the Ottawa Senators, by the National Hockey League. During a game against the Montreal Canadiens in December, Prospal called Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois -- gird yourself, Delicate Reader -- a "frog." Brisebois whined to the press about it. Now the NHL has forced Prospal to take a series of "diversity classes" as punishment for his insensitivity.
"Talk about my stickhandling, my defense, my checking, my skating," says NHL diversity consultant Zack Minor. "I cross the line when I get into the personal attack, my culture, my race, my sexual preference, my personal failures." Of course beating Brisebois bloody would only have cost Prospal five minutes in the penalty box.